Reading FC boss Brendan Rodgers is likely to stick with Simon Church and Gylfi Sigurdsson

Brendan Rodgers has hinted that he will stick to one up top for the trip to Sheffield Wednesday and carry on with Gylfi Sigurdsson as a second striker.

The Iceland under-21 has two goals from his last two Championship appearances, taking his total in the league for the season to three from 11 starts for Reading.

Simon Church is Rodgers’s first-choice forward right now and Grzegorz Rasiak has come off the bench in the last two games in the manager’s preferred 4-3-3 set up.

And with Sigurdsson being named in the last five of Rodgers’ starting line-ups, the 20-year-old midfielder looks likely to be called upon to help the team’s current lack of striking options with Shane Long suspended for three games.

The 36-year-old boss said: “Right now we haven’t been able to bring anyone in so we will have to work with what we’ve got and there are options in the squad.

“Gylfi Sigurdsson is playing as a second striker and getting goals and Grzegorz Rasiak came off the bench the other week and got the winner.

“We also have Hal Robson-Kanu who can play down the middle as well as out wide, but it is a shame to lose Shane who I thought played well at Derby.”

Rodgers will also have to make another change to his squad with Brian Howard out for the rest of the year with a broken jaw suffered at Pride Park.

Turkey under-21 Jem Karacan replaced Howard at Derby and the holding midfielder is almost certain to start against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

And Rodgers has told whoever replaces Howard that they have to be up for the fight.

He added: “The injury to Brian means that other players in the squad will of course get an opportunity this weekend.

“It means that someone will have the chance to come in and stake their claim and I guess right now we have three possibilities there.

“We obviously have Jem Karacan who came on the other day along with Kalifa Cisse who has looked sharp in training all season and is fantastic worker.

“There’s also Brynjar Gunnarsson who is one of the most experienced professionals at this club, but whoever comes in will have to be physical.

“We need to defend as a team and attack as a team, it doesn’t matter if you’re Brazil, Burton Albion or Reading, that’s how you have to play football.”